Chasing An Alzheimer's Cure

Know Thine Enemy

I’ve promised before to refrain from using this platform for any political soapboxing, and I give you my word that that is not the point of this post. I’m not a political person any more than I’m a religious person, but I have a very real and important point to make, and I hope it isn’t misinterpreted as side-taking. My side, my politics, and my religion can all be described with the same single word: Love.

That said, we must disabuse ourselves of the idea that we are at war with Islam. Factually, if Islam at large were to declare war on the U.S. or on Christianity, the conflict wouldn’t last a week. The Islamic faith counts 1/4 of the world’s population, for God’s sake. Over one-and-a-half BILLION people. They could overrun this nation in days, if that was their goal.

ISIS is no more representative of Islam than Westboro Baptist is of Christianity.

So let us instead focus on the true opponent; criminals and terrorists using the mask of Islam to generate a programmed reaction from the world at large and to help fill their ranks. For every reactionary, blanket, anti-Muslim statement made by a politician or political candidate, for each newscast highlighting and generating hatred and distrust of Islamic peoples, for every foaming-at-the-mouth, vitriolic radio talk show host demanding they all be sent back to the desert, more and more young and impressionable Muslims are retreating to terrorist camps and leaders seeking to return hate for hate. Do we honestly believe this isn’t by design? Do we actually think that Islam is to blame for the swelling of their ranks? We judge them on their attire and their faith, we look askance at them in line at the grocery, we even read about them being spat on and beaten at random on the streets, and still we blame them for being angry and afraid.